A Tale of Greed
by The Crimson Moon
Summary: This story takes place after the series. It's an Alternate Ending. A return, a murderer, a new Homonculus, basic stuff, really. Oh, and an enslaved Ed. Hope you like it. Cri
1. A Beginning and a Nightmare

_Soft blue skies rested far above oceans of brilliant greens and golden yellows. Very few white clouds threatened to block out the harmonious rays of the sun. Scattered about the many plains of Risembool were small forests, if they could be considered even that. Really they were just a handful of trees placed there for shade and to become the homes of squirrels, birds, and insects. There was a large, actual forest somewhere around this peaceful village, but for now it wasn't in sight._

_"It sure is good to be home! I can't wait to see the look on Winry's face when I come bursting through that door, wide smile on my face, and full of pride shouting 'Hey, guys, FullMetal's back!'. Then I'll run up and say hi to that worn-out out, lazy, flirting Colonal and shout in his face about how I ain't dead yet!" A young voice full of triumph tore through the calm and soothing late-morning sounds. Standing atop a tall hill, green grass swaying gently with the breeze, was a strong young man. Some might have called him a kid by his size, though. That would have earned them a metal fist to their face and a deafening scream in there ears, most likely something about him not being a microscopic shrimp or something like that. Just because he was seventeen years old and 5'4 did NOT make him a shrimp!_

_Another breeze passed, his golden hair heald tightly in a pony-tail as well as his bangs flowing because of this. Eyes once closed now opened, showing their bright color, the same golden as his hair. It was nice out today, so Edward did not have his long, dark brown coat on. Instead he just wore his usual brown pants, black shoes, faded green vest, and long white-sleeved shirt._

_Behind the boy, a creature crept forward, left leg making soft clanking sounds as it did so. It's dark eyes were fixed on the man, Edward, and only the man, not allowing itself to become distracted by the distant chirping of blue birds, robins, and the like._

_Only a few more steps... Just a bit closer... And..._

_"YEEEEOOOOWWWCH! Ow, ow, ow! Den! Why'd you bite my butt!" Edward shouted, spinning around on his heel and narrowing his golden eyes as he waited for a reply from the dog. Den just sat there, panting and wagging his tail. Edward mumbled something, then he turned around, rubbing his now sore rear with both hands._

_Leaves cracking... Twigs breaking... Grass shifting aside to make way for the form moving once more..._

_Ed smirked and turned sharply as he decided Den was right behind him. "You're not gonna get me this t-..."_

_However, this was not Den._

_Den was laying aside, a large slash in his side, automail leg roughly torn off and thrown to the side._

_No, Edward was staring down at a pair of tight, black pants made of the same material that his enemies used for their clothing. He gulped. His eyes widened. His jaw dropped._

_Not again, not now!_

_He narrowed his eyes and shut his mouth, slowley looking up. The person was a man, a young one at that, definantly younger than Ed in appearence. Aside from the tight black pants, he wore a shirt that was just as tight as his pants and showed both his arms and his shoulders, a bit like Envy's, but unlike the other Homunculus' shirt, this covered his stomach. B_

_ut what affected Ed the most, was the face. "N-No way... It can't be..." The words barely managed to form under his shaking breath._

"Edward! Edward Elric, you have to wake up!" Edward shot up, though he did so a bit too quickly and without thinking. This caused he and the light golden haired boy leaning down in front of him to head butt each other and fall. Edward fell out of his chair and the other boy fell face-first into the table, then slid down to the floor, dragging the many dishes set on the table clothe with him. Edward was backing up into the wall behind him, breathing heavily and sweating to the point that he could swear rivers of sweat were flowing off of him and down to the now filthy wooden floor. The boy groaned and slowley stood.

"Ed... You were screaming in your sleep again... You have to stop passing out at breakfast..." he muttered, one brilliantly blue eye closing as he massaged the right side of his head with his right hand. Edward mumbled a nearly silent apology and stood, picking up the table clothe and setting it back over the table. He glanced a bit uneasily at the boy's face.

'What if...? No, that's impossible. Hiedrich can't be...' he thought, staring at the sixteen year old that had begun to clean the broken dishes scattered about the kitchen floor. The boy wore a white, longsleeved shirt and brown pants with a strap that went up to about the middle of his back, split into two straps, went over his shoulders and down his front to meet his pants again. He had a sort of green and brown mix colored coat that reached down to about his knees.

Once Hiedrich had finished clenaing the floor, he stood and picked up his chair, setting it back on all four legs so he could sit down.

"So much for breakfast." A sigh followed his mumbled words. Edward grinned widely, forcing him to close his golden eyes, and he rubbed the back of his head with his fake hand.

"Eh, sorry about that... I guess I dozed off again..." He said, giving an embarrassed laugh afterward. Hiedrich closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Ed, I'm starting to worry about you. You're up all night, sleep through breakfast, then you act like you've seen the dead come back to life!" he said, opening his eyes and narrowing them at his friend. Ed frowned and rested his fake arm at his side once more. No longer speaking in a happy or somewhat childish voice, he lowered his eyes to the table.

"I have seen the dead come back to life..." he whispered, but he shook his head and smiled. "Ah, it's nothin' to worry about. I never did sleep at night! Besides, I want to find out as much as I can as soon as possible. I need to at least beat your knowledge of rockets!" he said. Hiedrich's eyes returned to their kind and innocent look, and a small grin found its way to his face.

"So... You're just studying... And I thought you were... Heh, sorry Ed." He spoke nearly in a whisper. Edward raised an eybrow.

"You thought I was what?" Hiedrich blinked and laughed, waving his hands.

"I-Ignore that last part. Now, I uh... I'm going to go to work now!" He said, standing and quickly half-jogging to the door. He grabbed his suitcase, turned half way around, waved once, and was then gone. The door slammed behind him, leaving Edward in silence.

It had been three hours since Edward and Alphonse had talked. Outside a strong wind blew, causing the curtains hanging around a now open window to wave inside. One smacked his face as Ed moved to close the window.

"Why'd we have to get curtains?" He mumbled before slamming the windows shut and leaping back into a chair. He rested his right arm behind his head and leaned back, now staring out of one window. After Hiedrich left for work, he had cleaned up the kichen a bit more and moved upstairs into his bedroom. He'd closed and locked the door, then glanced around at the many papers scattered about his room. Ed blinked once.

"A bad storm's comin'. I hope Hiedrich doesn't get cought in it..." He mumbled, continuing to stare up at the dreary, gray clouds rolling in above Munich. Already a few small, dark spots were forming on the streets, some drops tapping lightly against the window Ed watched out of, showing that rain was beginning to fall. That sound of rain was soothing, almost heavenly, and soon it caused Edward to sleep...

_Ed stared at the Homonculus a bit more closley. Now that he thought about it, and had gotten over the shock of who it appeared to be, he figured it might just be some trick played by Envy. After all, the choice of clothing wasn't very original. The pants were the same as the now deceased Greed's, the only reason the shirt was different from Envy's was because it hid the Homonculus' back, stomach, and sides. Even the gloves were unoriginal. Plain old fingerless gloves that were torn off at the wrists._

_Ed smriked, clapping his hands._

_Half his mind, the one used to being in Munich, screamed at him for this because he was supposed to have accepted the fact that he was unable to perform Alchemy. However, the other half, the old Ed, the one that existed before he even knew about Munich, or the other side of The Gate, the one that wouldn't hesitate to beat your face in no matter who you were until someone stopped him if you called him short, cheered him on and said it only made sense that since he was back in his own world he could perform Alchemy and should never accept the fact that the FullMetal Alchemist isn't even an Alchemist anymore!_

_For an instant he hoped this would work. After all, it had been a very long time since he'd last had to fight. A year, wasn't it? Well, we'll have to see..._

_The sound of clothe ripping, blue light flashing at the top of the hill, and a chuckle. No, a snicker._

_"This should be a piece of cake. I know that's you, Envy. When did you get so sloppy? Even if thst person was a Homonculus, he wouldn't dress like that!" he said before pulling his arm back, and aiming to stab it through the Homonculus' heart._

_It would only be one life down, who knows how many more to go, but it would still take him a step closer to killing the Homonculus._

_"Envy? Why would you mistake me for my older brother? We look nothing alike."_

Author's Note: Well, that's the end of the first chapter. Sorry I couldn't make it longer with a little less dialogue and a lit more action and description, but eh, It gives you an idea of how I write and starts off the story, at least. The next chapter should be up soon, but until then, I'd really like a few reviews. You don't have to, but it'd be nice. Oh, right, and I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, never did, never will. I didn't create it or got the idea for it, either. I DID, however, create the new Homonculus who shall remain nameless until around chapter four. Probabley should have put that at the beginning, didn't, so I put it here. -Crimson (Cri for short.)


	2. Home

A Tale of Greed.

Alright, here's the next chapter to A Tale of Greed. It took a little longer since I had to figure out how Edward was getting back to his world. _Yes_, he does to go back. The FullMetal Alchemist can't just stay stuck in a world that's not his home. By the way, in this story, there are major spoilers as it takes palce after the series, so those who haven't seen the entire series may want to know. Seeing the movie would be a good idea too, they have a subtitled version on YouTube.

Last two things:

Rememebr Edward from our world? In this story, you'll be told that's Alphonse Hiedrich's brother. I don't know why, but I like to think they were Edward and Alphonse Hiedrich just like the Elrics are Edward and Alphonse Elric. O.o Please don't ask me to try and explain that...  
This chapter might be kind of sad, kind of happy, I don't know. When I'm writing or reading my own stories, I don't feel any emotion in them, so yeah... Couldn't tell ya.

To anyone that doesn't like characters dieing, just click that little green arrow aiming to your left, please.

Characters in this Chapter: Edward Elric, Alphonse Hiedrich, Random Alchemist(Name Unknown), possibly Winry Rockbell and Den.

Character Deaths:  2. I only count it as a death if the person STAYS dead.

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, never did, never will.

The night was fairly quiet, dark shadows dancing about the walls and floor, sent to this room by the moonlight pouring in, filling the spaces that the shadows did not. From the window that now lay open with curtains set aside crept in the noises and smells of a night in Munich, Germany; Crickets, a howling wind, one or two very faint shouts, possibly even a stray dog howling. As for smells, it wasn't... Exactly a pleasant scent, but wasn't too terrible that one breath would cause you to cough, sort of a mixture of smoke, something rotting(But that was too be expected, there was an alley nearby, and who knows what was in it), and a faint hint of gun powder. The air was cold and clawed at your throat with every breath you took.

A horrified gasp followed by the sound of something hitting the floor ripped through the somewhat peaceful night. Golden eyes wide and shaking, jaw dropped, and panting heavily, Edward Elric now lay tangled in his bed sheets and cover on the floor. He was in a sitting poition, palms flat on the floor behind him and arms slanted to keep him up. Sweat slid down from his forehead.

Just a dream. It was just another dream...

It took a moment for Edward to recover, though once his eyes quickly scanned the room for any sign of a Homonculus and his mind realized he was back in Munich, he calmed down. Recovering was the easy part; It was the maze of sheets he had to go through to be able to stand again that would be challenging.

Wrestling around and randomly thrashing his limbs about usually worked when he woke up after his nightmares. He would repeat the same motions over and over until the sheets finally fell off and he was able to scramble around in the room that was only partially lit by moonlight.

Left hand running across the top of a dresser, he discovered a pony tail holder, and sighed as he pulled his hair back into it's new style: A simple pony tail reaching below his shoulders, allowing his bangs to fall.

Pony Tail: check.

Now which drawer was his clothing in?  
Kneeling, he searched for a handle to open a drawer. No... No shirts or pants here...

Another drawer... Empty.

On the third drawer he found his old clothing, a black outfit. Where had he put that red coat of his? He didn't know, he just remembered losing it some time ago, even before his death.

Ah! There it was, in the fourth drawer.

He changed from his old clothes and into his new ones. It was the same white shirt, green vest, and brown pants. Really the only difference was that he had worn his old ones yesterday, and was goign to wear these ones today.

It was only after changing that he realized he smelled terrible from the sweating he did in his sleep. Sighing, Edward grabbed a towl and undressed again, taking a quick, cold shower to wake him up. Once he'd dressed again, in the same clothes, he walked out of his room, and made his way through a hall that lead to the stairs.

Edward blinked once in surprise, stopping in the middle of the hallway. Light made an attempt to escape from underneath Hiedrich's door, though it only lit part of the hallway as a result.

'Hiedrich's awake... At this hour? It's two in the morning!' Edward thought, eyes narrowing as a frown formed. He quickly walked to the door and tried to turn the handle, but it was locked. A clap echoed through a hall, followed by a chuckle and a quiet voice.

"No... I forgot... That won't work here..." Ed whispered, left arm going to his side. His right hand moved alogn the door frame as he stood on the very tips of his toes. Arm stretching as far as it could go, hand reaching out in a pathetic attempt to reach the top of the door frame, and a few mubmled curses...

He was too short.

He couldn't reach it! He wasn't tall enough to reach the lock pick that lay above the door.

Edward growled and stood back falt on his feet. Out of rage, his right hand's finegrs curled into a fist and his elbow bent, arm pulling back.

A crash followed the Elric's movement, and a slight stir from the person inside the brightly lit room, though no other movements followed.

Edward's eyes were open wide, pupils nearly the size of peas. He slowley brought his now open hand through the small hole in the door. It was just big enough to fit his fake hand through. Light jumped through at this new opprotunity to escape, but only managed to shine directly into Edward's eyes, pupils shrinking more to adjust to the new amount of light.

He'd punched a whole through Heidrich's door. Hiedrich was going to _kill _him!  
Edward slowley backed away from the door as he heard movement once more. His shaking breath had returned from earlier, though this time it was from the fear of Hiedrich's fury.

A groan... A yawn... Then a few muttered words... All coming from Hiedrich.

Edward blinked once, and only once. Hadn't Hiedrich heard the door being punched through? Didn't he see Edward's fist go through the wood? Why wasn't he stomping to the door, throwing it open despite it being locked, and screaming in Edward's face about how he'd better pay for a new door? Shouldn't Ed be recieving a lecture on why he shouldn't take his anger out on furniture, doors, walls, or windows right now?

Edward put his hand throught the hole in the door again, and bent his elbow, running his hand along the door until he found the doorknob. He then unlocked it and gently pushed the door open, eyes squinting as it creaked with every inch it moved. He took off his shoes, which he had put on without really thinking abotut he fact that it was two in the morning, and he crept across the room in his socks.

A smile formed as he saw his friend. There lay Hiedrich, sitting in his desk chair, head resting on the desk with his left cheek to the surface, back arched so his chest lay against the edge of the desk, and arms bent above him, pencil still in hand and positioned to scribble more words down on the paper and add to the blueprints layed before Hiedrich. A thin line of drool slithered down from the corner of his slightly open mouth, eyes closed lightly with breathing slowed down. He was asleep, and judging by the puddle of drool that dripped from the edge of his desk, into his lap, and had just started to soak the very edges and corners of his papers, Hiedrich had been this way for a few hours.

Edward gently lifted Hiedrcih's head from the puddle of drool and leaned him back in the chair. Right hand supporting his legs and left hand his back, Edward slowley lifted Hiedrich from the chair and carried him to his bed. He placed Hiedrich on the bed and pulled at the coversuntil they were out from underneath Hiedrich. He lifted the very top end of the covers and pulled them over Hiedrich up to his shoulders, making sure to remove Hiedrich's shoes afterward. Once the task of putting Hiedrich on the bed was done, Edward crept out of the room and closed the door. He could always make up an explination for the door later.

Something eerie glided through the air, jumping off the walls and swooping into Edward's head as he walked down the hallway leading to the stairs. Something just wasn't right... It was that feeling you sometimes get... The feeling that something's going to go horribly wrong...

"Ha! I think I'm fianlly losing it! Everything's going fine." He said to himself, hands sliding into his pockets, head thrown back as he let out a small but clearly nevous and forced laugh. A stir from the room behind him silenced this laughter.

Golden eyes returning to the hallway before him, his head tilted back to its original position. Of course he was just trying to convince himself that nothing else could possibly go wrong in his life. But it was a pleasent thought, that nothing else could go wrong. A complete lie, yes, but pleasent to believe.

Loud creaking sounds echoed through the now nearly silent hosue as he dragged his feet down the stairs. He hadn't realized it before, but to wake up at two in the morning well... _Sucked_. He was tired, hungry, and deep in thought at the same time already! That usually didn't start until about noon. Hm... Hungry... Maybe he should get soemthing to eat.

A large grin found it's way to Edward, and his stomach growled in agreement to this thought. He quickened his pace, skipped the last six steps or so by leaping, and hurried to the kitchen. What to eat? So many choices... So little time before...

Wait, Heidrich wouldn't be up for another four hours...

Edward had all the time in the world to eat...

Drool leaked from one corner of his mouth. Mmm... _Lots_ of food... Now THAT sounded like soemthing he might enjoy...

Alas, the happiness faded, as did Edward's speed. He stopped dead in the center of the kitchen, standing by the table. It had hit him like he was some unlucky bird that just flew right into a window.

Edward Elric, the 'Great FullMetal Alchemist', didn't know how to cook.

Slowley the rest of the thoughts that surely followed and smashed into this horrible train reck of realization flowed into his mind.

No cooking skillsNo Food.

No FoodStill Hungry.

Still HungryGoing to bed with an empty stomach.

Going to bed with an empty stoamchNOT A HAPPY EDWARD.

He groaned turned. Maybe there was a coffee shop open?

Grabbing his long brown coat that reached past his knees, he scribbled down a note to Hiedrich in the rare event that he should wake up and find Edward missing at two in the morning, now three actually. With that, he was out the door, shutting it gently behind him and beginning a whole new journey: One for food.

"You're kidding..." He mumbled, a look with a mixture of surprise and anger appearing. He now stood before the small coffee shop located about a fifteen minute walk away from the house he and Hiedrich shared.

The sign read 'Closed'.

"Hm... Maybe some luck at a resturaunt..."

Failure found him once more.

'Closed'.

Now he had a 'oh give me a break!' look, and was beginning to drool again.

"Alright... The bar then..."

Edward's happiness passed like a fallen leaf on an Autum breeze. The bar was open, yes, and there was definantly food, yes, but there was a catch.

The moment Edward stepped in, the stench of cigerrette smoke and alchohal hit him, and he wrinkled his nose slightly, putting a hand over his mouth and nose to try and block the smell. Then a clearly drunk man had come over to him, said a few things that Edward would rather not mention, and took a step closer. That was enough to cause Edward to shoot off like one of the rockets he was trying to build, heading back home.

Having no luck in finding food and scarred for life from the incedent with the drunk man, Edward had decided that a not-happy-Edward was a safe-Edward. He could deal with being hungry for a day, or until heidrich bought some food at least, couldn't he?

As he walked down the side walk, he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. Thoughts of home and his nightmares started to fill his midn again, but he shook his head and looked forward again, trying to push the thoughts aside.

_I wonder if Winry's doing okay..._

No... I can't think about home...

_Did I succeed in bringing Alphonse back?_

Of course I did, now I just need to go a little further...

_I'm a bad older brother, I can't even remember what his face looks like anymore, or what his voice sounds like._

I remember his voice just fine and if the memory of his face starts to fade then I just have to look at Hiedrich. Now stop thinking about home and focus on getting back to the house...

_It's my fault Nina died... I could've stopped Tucker..._

"Come here."

Edward blinked and stopped. He was near the alley that was next to there house. That wasn't his voice... It wasn't his 'concious'...

"Come here, shrimp."

The voice was unfamiliar... Wait, did he just hear that right? Shrimp... Microscopic... Tiny... Too small to be seen...

One golden eye twicthed, fingers curled to form fists, and his teeth were now bared.

He marched into the alley and continued until he found a dead end with a few trash cans palced at the very back wall.

"WHO JUST CALLED ME A MICROSCOPIC SHRIMP TOO TINY TO BE SEEN AMONG THE PILES OF RAT DUNG IN THIS ALLEY!" He screamed. Never... NEVER... Call Edward Elric short. Ed was goign to make sure this stranger learned that lesson.

"You're stupid, kid."

"WHAT!"

"You're at a Dead End, you know."

Edward didn't blink as he swiftly turned on his heel to see a man dressed in a black hooded cloak standing behind him. A hand was the only thing revealed from the cloak, along with a gun... Whch was pointed at Edward.

Anger left... Fear rose... And memories of his first death came crawling back into his mind.

"Say goodnight, shrimp..." The man said, beginning to pull the trigger...

Hiedrich sat up, blue eyes wide open. A gunshot... He heard a gunshot! At first he panicked, glancing at a drawer that was filled with newspaper articles, suicide notes, and a few papers written for a funeral. He gasped and tried to fly out of his chair, but he was in bed. How'd he get here? Oh well, it didn't matter right now. He had to find Ed and make sure he was alright.

Standing and quickly pulling on his shoes, Hiedrich rushed out of his room. He cought a glimpse of the hole in his door, but he could ask Ed about that later.

"Edward! Ed, are you in here!" He shouted as he ran into Ed's room. Empty. He ran into a guest room. Empty. Bathroom. Empty of course, otherwise the door would've been locked. Kitchen. Empty. The living room was empty too, except for a small note. The exact words Alphonse didn't want to read were scribbled quickly on that note.

_Hey Hiedrich, I'll be back in about half an hour. Buy some food when you wake up, alright?  
-Edward._

Hiedrich's heart skipped a bit and his jaw dropped. Then he threw the note aside and grabbed his coat as he burst through the door. Where had the gunshot come from? It was definantly nearby... The alley... He could hear a few mumbled curses coming from the alley... There were two voices... Edward and an unfamiliar one.

Hiedrich turned and, sure enough, there in the alley stood a man with a gun pointed at Edward and the FullMetal Alchemist running to the side, just barely managing to dodge a bullet.

Hiedrich began to run down the alley as Edward jumped into a corner, dodging a bullet but sealing his fate in doing so. Edward didn't seem to notice Heidrich, narrowed eyes focused on the man with gun. Was he going to die here? No, he couldn't... He still had to finish making a rocket with Hiedrich and get back to his world... He couldn't die here! But... What could he do? He was cornered, a gun pointed at him, and had no way of using Alchemy here. He was trapped, and was now trying to accept this as his fate.

The man smirked behind the hood and pulled the trigger again.

A scream of paina nd a loud thud.

Wat should have been Edward's bleeding body curled up on the ground was actually Heidrich. He was holding a wound in his shoulder and at the same time was trying to get into a sitting position. Edward stared down in surprise, then seemed to be hit by what had just happened. He knelt down by Hiedrich and stared at the wound, then looked at him. The man was cursing and reaching in his pocket. He had to reload the gun... He didn't plan on that... This could take a little bit.

"Hiedrich! Are you alright!" Edward asked, ignoring the man for now.

Hiedrich just gave a small laugh.

"I was shot and you ask if I'm alright? Well... Yes, I'll be alright. It just hurts a lot..."

"You _idiot_! You could have died just now!"

"_You_ would've died if I didn't take the bullet."

"Why do you care!"

"Edward, shouldn't we talk about this later? He's still there... Reloading the gun..." Hiedrich actually chuckled at the man's attempt to reload the gun. He was failing miserably.

The man just growled and mumbled something about how now Hiedrich was going to be the first to go.

"Or trying to..."

Edward didn't show any sign of amusement. Only worry and confusion showed.

"You didn't answer me."

"Hm?"

"Why'd you take a bullet for some guy you met less than a year ago?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because you look like my older brother."

Edward stared at him, now looking a bit shocked. He knew there was an alternite him, but hadn't he died in the-...

Oh no...

Edward gulped.

"And was his name... Edward... Hiedrich?"

Alphonse nodded, then stared at the attacker before slowley standing and grabbing Ed's right arm  
with his good hand.

"Move!" he shouted, throwing Ed at the other corner. He might have chosen better words if he knew that would be the last thing he would say.

Less than a second later, a bullet shot through his chest, and Alphonse Hiedrich fell back to the cold floor of the alley. A puddle of blood began forming underneath his body, which was begnning to turn cold and still.

Edward stared for a minute, sadness trying to fill him, but then he looked at the man, rage beating sadness to him.

"YOU A-", His eyes widened. Cursing, threatening, and beating later, morunign could follow, but right now he ahd to make Hiedrich's sacrifice worth something.

The man pulled the trigger as Edward ducked. Keeping low to the ground, he shot off toward the man, making sure to move in different directions and not in a straight line to keep the man guessing on what his next move would be. With every turn he was getting closer and clsoer to the man...

One final turn...

There! He was now standing in front of the man. He grabbed the gun with his fake hand and started to pull it away from the man...

Another gunshot, another thud.

Edward lay in front of the man. His killer laughed and kicked him hard in the side, sending his body rolling. He stopped on his back, blood stainging his shirt and coat as the wound goign directly into his heart bled. A puddle of blood formed under him as well, and he had a final thought before he died.

_Sorry, Al. Guess it wasn't worth anything at all._

A golden eye opened half way, then closed tightly, trying to block out the blinding light that surrounded him. He didn't dare open his eyes, knowing what he would see, but he did notice he was laying down, so he pushed hismelf up into a sitting position.

However, a voice rang through his ears, and it caused his eyes to shoot open.

"Edward?"

What he saw was a pair of shining blue eyes staring at him. He stood and looked down at the blonde boy dressed in his usual outfit. The boy that had died not too long ago.

"Hiedrich?" He asked.

Alphonse Hiedrich stood and nodded, a wide smile appearing. Now Edward had to look up in order to look at those blue eyes.

"I'm... Hiedrich, are you okay?"  
It was only now that Edward realized Hiedrich's normally innocent, calm and kind eyes showed pain, fear, and confusion.

Hiedrich frowned and glanced back at the large doors behind him before looking back at Edward.

"Y-Yeah..." He lied.

Edward managed to force a small smile on his face.

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" He leaned to his right slgihtly to look behind Hiedrich. Sure enough, there were those familiar doors, which proved both he and Hiedrich were dead. The Gate was there.

"This isn't how I imagined Heaven when i heard about it..." Hiedrich commented, looking around.

Edward let out a laugh.

"This isn't Heaven."

"..."

Edward sighed. He knew the question that was going to come next.

"Wh-Where are we, Ed?"

"We're at The Gate."

"What's The Gate?"

"It's-" But Edward was cut off by a loud groaning noise. He looked behind Hiedrich as Al turned around, and they both stared at The Gate. Edward prepared to stare into the darknes filled with eyes staring back, but isntead he saw light. A warm, bright light.

"What the-!" He managed to scream before they were both dragged into The Gate...

_4 liters of ammonia_

_35 liters of water_

_20 kg of carbon_

A young man, no older than eighteen, paced around the outside of a large transmutation circle. His body was hidden by the darkness, and only dark colroed eyes could be seen when he passed a small streak of moonlight managing to find its way through the curtains that attempted to block all light.

As he paced, he kept talking to himself.

"Everyone's always talking about the great FullMetal Alchemist. Even now, after he's dead, they still talk about that shrimp. Heh, I wonder if those rumors about him and his hieght are true? Is he really only four feet tall? Doesn't matter, I can ask him after I bring him back. I'll be more famous than him!" He said.

_1.5 kg of lime_

_250 grams of salt_

_100 grams of saltpeter_

"I might even join as a State Alchemist, get a cool title, and gain even more fame! I'LL be the one called 'Hero of the people' from now on!"

_800 grams of phosphorus_

_7.5 grams of fluorine_

_80 grams of sulfur_

His pacing stopp, the thin line of moonlight slowley fading to a stream of orange as he stood there, waiting and counting off the ingrediants.

_3 grams of silicon_

_5 grams of iron_

_and fifteen other elements. That's it..._

"Plus my own little addition..."

_If I fail, there's always that murderer. Maybe his reason for killing is the same as mine? That would be interesting._

"This will work. I've given more than enough for the Equivelent Exchange. Come on, FullMetal, time to come abck form the grave." He said before he knelt down. His placed his hands to the cirlce and...

The wind had caused the curtains to open, revealing the city that lay outside. The sky was filled with different tints and shades of orange, pink, and a red rose like color. A hint of yellow was weaved into the sky as well amung the threads of other colors.

A mix of yellow and orange slithered through the window and made it's way to the body that now lay in the middle of the circle.

The man was gone, but now lay a seventeen year old boy, about five foot four, long golden hair out of its pony tail and over his shoulders.

Bright, golden eyes opened, matching the color of his hair. With a groan, he sat up and looked around. Edward mumbled something and stood, looking around. He tried to ignore what lay beneath him, and instead tried to recall how he got here.

Looking around the room, he saw many books and papers scattered atop desks, bookshelves, and the floor. some were even tacked to the cieling and walls. Then he spotted a tall wooden door. That's all he needed right now.

He was sure it was just another nightmare, and that figure would pop up any moment, but it was a nice dream so far. It only got better as he stepped out of the house and squinted his eyes. Edward realized where he was immidietly; Central.

There was no way this was real. He was definantly having antoehr nightmare...

Edward yawned and dragged his feet down the sidewalk. How'd he forget the way to Central HeadQuarters already? It had only been a year! It was now...

Edward shoved hsi right hand in his pocket. He searched for something, and soon found it. The pocket watch. No, not his State Alchemist pocket watch. That had been lsot with Alphonse, his little brother, before his death. No, this was a pocket watch Hiedrich had gotten him for his seventeenth birthday. He'd said Edward seemed to lose track of the time easily.

But Edward had requested that Hiedrich allow one change be made. When Hiedirhc said it was his and he could do what he wanted with it, Edward had taken a sharp object and taken plenty of time carving the date '3, Oct., 10'

Right now it was five a.m. He still had about one or two hours before people woke up, and before he could ask directions.

Then, his first thoughts on recent events came.

_Where's Hiedrich, How'd I get here, and the moment I find a mirror, I need to check for a Homonculus Symbol._

Edward stopped, staring at a news article tacked up on a door. It seemed this person wanted people to remmeber him... But...

**FullMetal Shrimp Dead**

The famous FullMetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, Hero of the people, has been reported dead. Though no body was found, a woman from Lior reports that his last words to her were about destroying a city so no one can attempt a forbidden science again. Edward Elric was the youngest Alchemist to pass the State Alchemist exam, beginning his service to the military at the young age of twelve. Along with his younger brother Alphonse Elric, who has been reported missing, he traveled from town to town on missions and always ended up helping, or trying to help, those currently living in said town.

Edward died at age sixteen...

'FullMetal Shrimp'.

Edward didn't bother to read the article, that title was enough...

Golden eyes darkened with fury, fingers curled for the third time that day to form fists, veins seemed to pop out on his head, body turned, and he puffed out his chest.

"IIIIIIIII"MMMMMMMMMMMMM NOOOOOOTTTT A SHRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMPPPPP!"

It took me longer than I would have liked it to, but here's the second chapter. Sorry for the crappy ending, and if you can't read that article, don't worry. There's nothing too important in there. Except for a mention of Rose and one line, nothing really worth reading is in there. Seeya for now. -Cri


	3. Return

A Tale of Greed.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry,  
sorry, sorry,  
SORRY!

I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I just hung out with my friends, daydreamed, and had a writer's block for a while, so I kinda dropped the story for a bit. Really sorry, hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Anyway, After the Homonculus comes in, the story will focus on Ed, possibly Envy, and this new character of mine. Well, not really mine, just a Homonculus version of him/her. A lot of you probabley already know who it is, but if you don't, YAY, I DID MY JOB RIGHT!

I realize I can't spell the word 'Colnel' (Ker-nel), so I spell it 'Colonal'. I'm used to that. Nothing else looks right to me. Sorry.

So, next chapter of A Tale of Greed is now up, read and enjoy. Yes, _enjoy, _not reveiw. You may if you wish, I'm not going to beg you for compliments/Suggestions/questions or complaints.  
Decide for yourself on the emotion this chapter gives off. I couldn't tell you.

To all EdxEnvy, EdxRoy, and EdxWinry fans, this is not one of those stories, nor is it EdxHomonculus, but you can decide to use your imagination and adjust the story in your brain to be about your favored pairing. Just keep it to yourself, though.

Characters in this Chapter: Edward Elric, Roy Mustang, Riza hawkeye, Rose from Lior, a single phone call with Winry Rockbell, Alex Louis Armstrong, Envy, 'Mystery Homonculus'.

Character Deaths:  0. I only count it as a death if the person STAYS dead.

Disclaimer: If I did own FMA, which I don't, there would be absolutely no hints of EdxWinry, because their relationship is strictly as siblings in my eyes. Nothing against those who like the pairing, just saying I don't like it. So yeah, don't own, never will.

There was near-silence in the office of a certain Colonal Mustang. The windows allowed the morning light to flow into the room, forcing his tired body to stay awake with it's constant picking at his closed eyelids until he freed his eyes of the once comforting darkness. A pen lay between his fingers, hand positioned as though to write upon the many papers scattered about his desk, but no words were formed.

Eyes of Grey and Dark blue lay half-open now. Roy sighed and glanced at the door. For a moment the crazy idea that the FullMetal Alchemist would burst in, armour-bound brother following him in because his brother was in a particularly rotten mood and needed to be controlled or the Colonal may be reported dead, crept into his unbelievably bored mind. That thought, however, was quickly shaken away. No, it had been two years since he'd seen either of the Elric brothers. Edward was asumed dead, even if Mustang heald the small hope that he was alive and therefore ordered that the paper be changed from FullMetal Alchemist to FullMetal Shrimp knowing that Edward would storm in the moment he cought the slightest murmer of the paper's title, and Alph-

His own loud yawn interupted his thoughts. Arms stretching as he bent his back against his chair and heard a series of cracks, Roy squeezed his eyes shut and heald his breath. Then, when he settled back into his slouched position, he let the breathe out slowley through his nose. There had to be something to do other than paperwork...

Of course! Find an excuse NOT to do the paperwork! That was something to do.

The man smirked and stood. He crept over to the door leading to a corridor, gently turned the knob so as not to make any noise, peeked through the small crack in the door, and...

He was staring directly into a gun. All color left his face, his eyes were wide, and his hairs seemed to stand on end.

"And where do you think you're going, sir? Just because we're happy that you're back doesn't mean you get to slack off again! Back to your desk, get to work!" A familiar blonde woman commanded. She had blood red eyes that were just as dangerous as the gun she pointed at her commanding officer. A mere glare like the one he was recieving now could send any man stumbling backward in fear.

"And sir..."

Roy gulped and slowley opened the door.

"Y-Yes, Leutenant Hawkeye?" His reply was far less confident than he hoped it would be.

"STOP TRYING TO ESCAPE!" she screamed, and she slammed the door shut. Roy could have sworn the floor beneath his feet shook. Riza might be his subordinate, but she was SCARY when she was mad...

Back to the boring paperwork, he supposed...

_Roy braced himself for the meeting that was about to occur. He knew he would recieve at least one fist to the face, a few words that should be unknown to a sixteen year old that insulted his very existance, and a sloppily put together summary of FullMetal's latest mission. A failure with no progress whatsoever towards the boys' search for the Philosopher's Stone._

_The door slammed open and the expected guest dragged his feet over to the couch. The boy with his golden hair pulled back in a braid flopped down on the black couch and spread his arms over the back, slumping down so his back was nealry on the seat._

_"Alright, look, Mustang. I want to get this over with as quickly as possible, I've got this new lead and-"  
_

_  
"Report."  
_

_  
Golden eyes looked in Roy's direction, narrowing._

_"What's the point? You already know everything we did. Why should I even bother-"  
_

_  
"REPORT, FullMetal. And Alphonse, close the door, would you?"_

_Just as those words left his mouth, the door was gently shut, and the empty suit of armour stood quietly in a nearby corner so as to keep watch over his clearly frusterated and exhausted brother._

_Edward mumbled something Roy would rather not repeat, and stood, stumbling over to the desk. He slammed the report down on the wood and fell back over to the couch._

_"There's your report, now lemme g-"  
_

_  
"Aren't you going to bother asking about the Philosopher's Stone?"  
_

_  
Edward hesitated, and Roy took note that he glanced at Al, who nodded before Edward answered._

_"We give up."  
_

_  
Roy blinked._

_"What?"  
_

_  
"You heard me. We give up. That Stone's a worthless fairy tale that'll never be within our grasp. We're finding a new way. It was a waste of time..."  
_

_  
"Five years of searching-_

_"Four." Edward corrected._

_"-And you're just giving up? That's not like you, FullMetal."_

_There was silence from Edward. The boy was now laying down on the couch, rolled over on his side and breathing softly._

_Alphonse's chuckle echoed throughout the empty prison of a body._

_"I think he fell asleep, Colonal._" _The fourteen year old said._

_Roy sighed deeply. He didn't even get to add a short joke into the conversation..._

_Ed mumbled and rolled over in his sleep._

_"Well, get him out of here before he stains my couch with his drool." Roy said, adding in a smirk before beginning to flip through the report. He really only read it because he found it fun to read Edward's summary of his mission while knowing it wasn't the whole truth. This was a report on lab 5, which Edward was very resistant to telling the Colonal about. Roy read the few sentences that described it as a 'pointless dead end that just wasted his time. The place was abandoned and started crumbling when they got there'. What a load of crap. Roy knew that if Ed came out like that and Al was mising his limbs, something larger than stated occured._

_A door slamming, a few shouts..._

"I said GET UP, you lazy, procastinating, Ego-maniac with and over amount of confidence and pride! NAP TIME'S OVER!"

Roy's head lay on his folded arms, drool streaming downward and landing in a pool on his desk.

"Mmm... Go away, Ed... Report turned in... Go sleep now... Al, take 'em away..." he mumbled, eyes remaining closed.

Slap.

Roy sat up immidetly. He rubbed the back of his head and could have sworn he felt a vein pop out on his forehead.

"What was that for, FullMetal!" he screamed, dark blue eyes snapping open to give an enraged glare at his shortest subordinate. Wait... FullMetal? Why was he talking to... Oh no, another hallusitation... Those ended half a year ago, why start up now!  
"FullMetal?"

Edward gave out a snort.

"Yeah, who else would it be? Now, did you hear me, or were you sitll taking a nap when I asked you about it!" He snapped.

Roy took a moment to glance around. He'd been asleep for about thirty minutes, and Edward and himself were the only ones in his office. He tried to keep his shock the Edward was back under control, knowing FullMetal would tease him about it, but his eeys were wide open as he now stared at Ed.

The boy dressed strangley. He wore a brown coat, a green vest over a white shirt, brown pants, black shoes, and his hair in a pony tail, but otherwise it was the same Edward, despite the one year added to his age since Roy last saw him. FullMetal was galring back at him, teeth bared like a vicious dog. He seemed ready to try and bite Roy any time.

"WELL! Answer me!" He slammed a newspaper down on the desk and slapped his hand over it with each word.

"What. Is. THIS!"

Mustang looked down at the paper.

"FullMetal Shirmp..."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

Mustang's eyes widened more, which was supposed to be physically impossible considering they were wide enough from witnessing the dead come back to life and scream in his face. He'd said that out loud, hadn't he? Here comes Roy Mustang's death...

Managing to force a teasing smirk, he repeated his words.

Edward's already narrowed eyes seemed to both widen and narrow further. His hands formed fists, and he gritted his bared teeth together. The anger inside him kept building and growing and screaming at him to let it out until the finally came.

With a deep breath, he got close to Roy and screamed in his face,

"**Who are you calling a pint-sized, SHORT-tempered, impulsive runt that is so small, if you aimed to step on him, you'd miss because of his microscopic size!**"

Roy couldn't hold it in. He let out a loud roar of laughter before smirking at Edward once more.

It only took one word to crush Ed's anger and send him into complete shock. One simple sound coming from Roy Mustang that could stop Edward dead in his position to hit the Colonal.

"You."

Edward's eye twitched. His jaw dropped, and his fists shook.

All at once, the rage flooded him, and he screamed with that same rage. At that moment, Hawkeye and Havoc burst in just in time to see Edward leaping over the desk to pin Roy down and kill him. They cought the Alchemist in mid-air, each one holding one of his arms with both of theirs, and they dragged him backward kicking and screaming. Screaming curses and words that no seventeen year old should know, of course.

As the great 'Hero of the People' was dragged with much difficulty out of the office, Roy called out to Hawkeye.

"Make sure to tell the runt-", Edward let out a fresh scream of rage before returning to his series of cussing and 'other' langauge, "-About his new mission."

Edward managed to get one arm free to hold the door open by a few inches, poke his head through, and scream at the Colonal some more before being thrown into the hall, the door slamming and leaving the Colonal to his paperwork.

It was just as hard to drag Edward out of the office as it was to get him to calm down.

"Let me go!"

"You'll kill him!"

"That's the point!"

"No!"

"Let me at that-"

"NO!"

"But-"

A gunshot. A whimper. Silence.

Edward was tied tightly with chains, and he was sitting against a wall. A bullethole was now beside his head. Wide, golden eyes were staring at the hole.

Hawkeye returned the gun to its rightful place and closed her eyes.

"That's better. Now, as for your mission. You're going to Lior. Help Armstrong clean up the place." She said.

Edward looked at her, then said with a bit of disbelief,

"What! Lior! But I just got back..."

"If you go, we'll answer any questions you have there."

Ed thought about this for a moment, then sighed. He supposed the trip would be worth it if it meant he could get some answers. After a small chat with Riza on his mission, he was off to the train station to be the newest member of the clean-up crew.

To put it plainly, the train ride to the closest town to Lior was unbearably boring. Ed lost count of the times he'd fallen asleep, and eventually started talking with people that he'd never seen before about his childhood just from the fear that he would die of boredom. The people were kind enough to listen, and they seemed to enjoy the stories. A nice change from some of the depression that had been going around, Ed guessed, so he left out the parts of his mother dieing, and focused on the happier days instead.

Once the train reached the town, Edward lifted the suitcase he'd thrown together at the last minute, and headed off through the desert. The walk would be worse than the wait, considering he didn't have a certain seven foot tall suit of armour to keep him company.

After what seemed like a year's worth of walking, Ed managed to reach Lior without dieing of starvation or dehydration.

"Nice location for a town. Right in the middle of the desert." he mumbled, sighed and dragging his feet forward into the town. His ponytail was loose, golden strands of hair sticking up everywhere, and he was slouching over, looking to be ready to collapse; But he was alive, and could see the fountain of red wine he'd discovered to be in the middle of the town around three years ago.

Normally Edward hated alchohal. He never really liked the idea of being so drunk you couldn't even control your own bodily functions, but he would have drank anything right then. So he dug through his suitcase to find a mug, dipped it into the fountain, and put the rim to his lips, chugging down the red liqaud.

"Hey! That's off limits to kids, Shorty!" someone yelled. That same someone got a mugged chucked at their face and a certain Alchemist screaming at them, saying something about being called a midget so small that he'd drown in a single drop of wine.

Then, just as Edward ran to kill the man (Or at least teach him not to recognize Ed's lack of growth spurts), two strong arms picked him up and squeezed him in a bear hug. His face began to turn blue, and he kicked his legs, not being able to use his arms as they were trapped by the larger man's arms.

A single gasp of air rushed into his lungs, allowing him to scream,

"Hey, hey, get off! Can't breathe! What are you th-"

"EDWARD ELRIC! Of all the people I expected to see, you were not amung them! Where have you been all these years?"

When Edward was released, he stood perfectly still, fearing what he might turn around to see. His eyes were wide once more, and only seemed to widen as he summoned the courage to peek over his shoulder. He was greeted by a large, muscular bald man with a single blonde hair curling out from his forehead. A thick mustache was the only other hair the man had on his head.

Then, of course, there were the sparklings...

"M-Major Armstrong..." Edward mumbled, and was instantly pulled into another bear hug.

"I can't beleive it's really you! Everyone said you were dead, yet here you are, in the flesh!" Armstrong roared.

"Yeah yeah, it's great to see you too, now get off me!" Ed yelled, struggling to get free. He didn't like the stares he was recieving. The situation was bad enough already.

When Armstrong let him go, he looked around, glaring at everyone he saw.

"What am I, a clown! Go back to your lives! Can't a guy come back from the dead without being stared at like some freakshow!" he screamed. They obeyed. All except for one.

"Ah, yes, go say hello to miss Rose, Edward! She's missed you too." Armstrong said, but it was unnessecary. Ed was already rushing over to the brown haird with pink bangs, lovely young woman that Edward had been with just before his death.

The woman seemed shocked, to say the very least. Her hand was slapped over her mouth, her entire body was shaking, and Ed was sure that if her eyes widened any further, they would pop right out of her head. The only word that she actually managed to form barely managed to be a word at all, considering it had to slip out under the cover of a trembling breath.

"Edward..."

He grinned at that, stopping right before her.

"Hey, Rose, it's been a long time, huh?" he replied before looking around. His grin instantly faded. It was horrible, terrible, depressig, absolutely tragic and such a shame he couldn't even bear it!

THE PLACE WAS **_FINE_**! He spent three days getting here, and the place was in perfect condition! They'd already cleaned up the place, and Ed was sure they had even made the town located in the middle of the desert a paradise.

One eye twitched and Ed ignored Rose's 'What's wrong?'. He looked back at her and sighed.

"Well, I came here to fix the place up, but it looks like you guys beat me to it. So, what did I miss while i was gone?"

Rose seemed to have calmed down. her voice no longer shook when she spoke.

"Well, we had another war, and of course you went missing. There haven't been any sightings of the you-know-whats..."

"Hm?"

Rose sighed and leaned forward. She then whispered and explination to Ed, and leaned back, causing her friend to sigh with releif.

"That's good. And their leader?"

"Gone. I'm fairly sure she's..."

"Dead?"

"That's the best reason for her absence I can find, anyway."

"Alright, what about Central, you know anything about what's gone on there?"

"Aside from Colonal Roy Mustang rejoining? Not really, though there has been another serial killer reported in Central and Risembool. Didn't you say you grew up there?"

Edward's eyes widened for what seemed like the millionth time. Risembool? A murderer in Central he could understand, but Risembool? It was such a peaceful place, why would a murderer be there?  
"You're sure it's Risembool? It could have been Xenotime or Rush Valley or-"

Rose looked at her feet.

"I'm sorry, Ed, but we're sure. It's Risembool."

"We?"

"Armstrong and I have become friends, actually. That's how I know about Central and the other towns; Armstrong tells me about them."

Edward sighed, then motioned for her to follow him. What he was going to discuss next, he didn't want to talk about in the open like this. Just because no one had sighted the Homonculi didn't mean that they were gone completely.

A single red flame lit the small room that Rose and Edward sat in. He was sititng straight in his chair, and Rose was doing the same on the opposite end of the table that both chairs were placed at. They were the only things visable in the room aside from the candle set on the middle of the table.

Edward sighed and looked Rose dirctly in the eyes.  
"Alright, Rose, do you swear you'll tell me anything I ask about?"

Rose nodded.

"No matter what it is?"

"Ed, you should trust me a little more." She smiled kindly. "I'll answer any of your questions."

That caused Ed to relax a little more. He slouched down.

"Good. First question, about the murderer. Evrything. I want you to tell me everything you know."

With only a moment of hesitation, Rose answered,

"It's been confirmed that it's a male. There's only been one witness that managed to live, and they died shortly after they described what they could see of the murderer. They said the only thing they could see was a gloved hand and purple eyes."

Edward's eyes narrowed, but he let her continue.

"So far he's killed twenty people, and someone made an attempt on Roy's life, though we know it wasn't the same man. Roy said his attacker was more of a feminine male than the other."

Edward had to hold back a chuckle. So someone finally tried to kill the Colonal?  
"A-And did he... Kill... Anyone I know?"

"No."

Edward sighed with relief once more. He smiled and looked at the table. He didn't want to look Rose in the eyes anymore. She didn't seem to like talking about killing, so he wouldn't force her too.

"There's soemthing that's been bothering me, Rose. Ever since I died, this thought's been picking at my mind. Did... D-Did I succeed?" He asked.

Rose tilted her head.

"Succeed? In doing what, Ed?"

"In bringing back Al."

Rose blinked, then avoided looking at Edward.

He didn't like that.

"Well? Did I succeed?" _Please, Rose. Please say he's alright..._

"... I can't say, Ed."

Now he was just frusterated. He stood roughly, causing the chair to fall back agaisn thte wooden floor, and he slammed his hands on the table.

"But you said you'd answer any of my questions!"

"Any of them but that one!"

"No, you promised to tell me EVERYTHING!"

Now Rose stood as well.

"I can't say because I don't know!"

"That's a lie!"

"Just be quiet, Ed!" She screamed. The man could really overreact. She hadn't even said what happened yet, and he already asumed his brother was dead and gone. She could tell.

"I really don't know, Ed." She spoke softer that time.

Edward's anger and frusteration seemed to leave. He stood still.

"When I wnet back in to check on you because you hadn't come back out, I only found a puddle of blood and a bunch of ruins. I think the puddle of blood was yours, and the ruins was your doing, too, right?"

Edward pulled the chair back up and sat down, still staring at Rose in disbelief. So he really had failed? All that for nothing.

"You're sure Al wasn't there? Was there anyone thereat all? Maybe-"

She dismissed those thoughts with a simple shake of her head.

Edward took in a shaky breath, then put on a look of forced calmness.

In a small voice, he spoke before leaving.

"Thank you, Rose. I'm heading to Risembool now... I have to do something, if Alphonse really is... Dead."

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, Winry. It's me."

""

"Winry?"

""

"Winry, are you okay?"

"" There was a trembling breath on the other line, then deep breathing.

"Winry!"

"_Wh-Who is this? Why are you being this cruel? Everyone knows the Elric brothers are gone!_"

"Winry! I can't believe you're saying this! It's me, Ed, who else could it be!"

"_It could be that murderer trying to trick me just before he kills me!_"

"Winry, no! Listen, how can I prove it's me?"

"_Don't bother, because I know it's not-_"

"A doll. When you were little, me and Al made a doll using Alchemy for you. The only other people who could possibly know that are Pinako, who's right there with you, your parents, who are dead, my mother, who's also dead, and my little brother..."

"_... Ed?_"

"Yes, Winry, it's me already!"

"_Edward! You're alive! Where have you been, what were you thinking, where's Al, how are you two, when are you coming home, how's your automail, why didn't you call sooner-_"

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, Winry. Not so fast. I was far away, I was thinking I would save Al, I don't know, he ran off, I'm at the train station right now, I didn't call sooner because I couldn't, and my automail... That's kinda why I'm coming. You see, where I was, they didn't have such a thing as automail, so when my automail was taken, I could only get an arm made by my dad."

"_Your dad? You mean Hohenheim? I thought he ran off again..._"

"Yeah he did. Anyways, I gotta catch my train, Winry. See you in few days, okay?"

"_I'm glad you're back Ed. Bye._"

After Edward hung up, he began walking toward his train. He stretched his arms for a moment, then took the time to scan the area. It was no surprise that the train station was nearly empty. After all, with the murderer going around, not many people would want to be outside. All except for three people.

Edward Elric was, of course, the first. He was now staring at the other two people, eyes a bit wide. This was because of who they were.

The second person brave enough to travel Edward recognized instantly. That revealing outfit, those cat-like violet eyes, palm-tree style hair, and that stupid grin of his. It was Envy, all right, not even bothering to disguise himself.

The third person seemed to be following Envy. He was taller by about two inches and wore a less revealing outfit. His eyes were not the purple color of most Homonculi's, but instead a dark golden one. His hair fell down to about the middle of his back, right bangs being longer than his left.

About the outfit... It was right out of a nightmare. Ed's nightmare. The person was out of his nightmare, too. This new Homonculus wore tight black pants like Greed's, a shirt like Envy's though it covered his middle as well, and fingerless gloves that had been ripped off at the wrist.

For a moment Ed thought it was Hiedrich. He might have confirmed that he himself was not a Homonculus, but he never bothered to look for Hiedrich. Then something else clicked in his mind, a horrific thought that would later be known as true.

Both Homonculi stopped. The new Homonculus bent down slightly and cupped his hand near Envy's ear before whispering something to him. Envy's phsycotic look dispeared and was quickly replaced with a confused one before turning to fury. Snapping to the side so he could face the Homonculus, he spoke so that Ed could hear him from his position, which was about ten yards away.

"_WHAT!_ Are you inSANE? We can't do that, he'll kill us for sure! Not to mention our master would-"

"YOUR master is no longer alive, Brother! Now, I told you. I. Want. That. Man. I want him to be my slave, got it?"

Envy growled.

"OUR master would disaprove, and besides, he can't be your slave, because I'm going to KILL him!"

The Homonculus growled back, eyes narrowing as well.

"You are NOT going to kill him! You said yourself, I should be true to my name, well now I'm trying, and you deny me the first thing that will help me reach that goal? I'm going to get what I want, Envy!"

"N-"

"Shut up and let me!"

"..." Envy snorted and began walking away.

"Fine, do what you please. Just be back in an hour. And please, if you're going to have a slave, make sure he gets at least one meal every two days. YOU have to take care of him from now on, because I'll kill him if you don't, got it?"

"Yes, Brother."

With that, Envy left, and the new Homonculus turned back to Edward, grinning. He wasn't smirking... That was odd...

Edward shook his head, deciding that he had a bigger problem. So a Homonculus decided to keep him as a slave? Just randomely decided to take him in like some lost kitten and treat him like dirt? That wasn't acceptable. he had to do something about that...

But, sadley, the famous Elric luck had to kick in, and before he could move to defend himself, the new Homonculus had gotten behind him. He heard the Homonculus say soemthing, then he slipped into darkness.

"Sorry about this, _Brother._"

Well, there's the third chapter of A Tale of Greed. Really hop it was worth the wait. I'll try to get the next one up sooner. Sorry again. Oh, and i edited it, this takes place only a year after Ed went to the other side of The Gate. I accidentally put two, sorry. -Cri.


	4. Rebirth: Greed's Story

Sorry again about it taking so long. I kinda got a Wirter's Block for a good while there, and just to think of the beginning took me about two days. Anyway, the only notes I have are that

1. Yes, if you haven't figured it out by now(You should have, though), the new Homonculus is Alphonse. Not Hiedrich or this Ling guy from the Manga(Definantly not him. Golden eyes, not black, squinty eyes.) He'll be refered to as Greed in this chapter, but just letting those of you who don't know, New Homonculus Greed. Greed Alphonse.

2.I plan on this story being about 10 chapters long. The other six will be at least 1,000 words long(I hope), so don't worry, this is NOT the last chapter.

3. No, I didn't type the cuss words in this chapter. Just lettin' ya know, not that you really care. ;

Characters in this Chapter: Edward Elric, Greed, Envy, 2 conversations between Greed and Al.

Character Deaths: 0

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. I own a thousand story ideas for FanFictions/Drabbles, a hatred toward Roy/Ed, Ed/Al, Ed/Envy, and Ed/Winry, and love of Elric-Brotherly-Love, but not FullMetal Alchemist. Got it? Good. Now Read and Enjoy.

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Edward awoke only to find himself surrounded by a sea of darkness. He knew very well where he was, and how he'd gotten there, but he had to look for a single person before he... Before whatever happened to the Dead happened to him. He could hear some sort of whimpering or mumbling nearby, but couldn't quite tell what it was until he took a few steps forward.

"Brother... Brother.."

That's exactly what he wanted to hear. Running forward blindly, he attempted to find his little brother, or at least his little brother's soul. He wasn't exactly sure how this would work, but Al had sacrificed the Philosopher's Stone and his life for Ed, so Ed was going to bring him back.

_  
After a few moments of searching, he found his little brother's body. It was a fourteen year old version of Alphonse; horribly thin and pale, hair nearly reaching his waist, but it was Alphonse. _

"Hey, Al. It's time to get you out of here, okay?" Ed said softly, offering his little brother a hand. Al was currently curled up on whatever ground or floor they were on.

"O-Okay..."

With that, Ed pulled Al up, gave him his coat to cover himself up with, and began to lead him to the exit. Of course he had no idea where this was, but he was sure they would find it eventually.

And he was right. It took longer than he would of liked, but there they were, standing in front of the doors to freedom; Or Al's freedom, anyway. Ed knew he'd die in the proccess of bringing Al back, but he was fine with that.

"It won't work, Brother."

Ed gave Al a confused look.

"What won't?"

"The Transmutation. It's not enough. For just your soul and the regeneration of your body, I used the entire Philosopher's Stone-Which is supposed to ignore the law of Equivelent Exchange- AND my life. 'A life doesn't equal a life', remember? Your lfie isn't the equivelent of my life, with just yourself you can't bring me back. Our bodies are different, our souls are different, the only thing similar about us is that we're both Alchemists born from Trisha Elric."

Ed's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"A-Al? How can you say that?! Of course this will work! My body, soul, and mind for your body, soul, and mind. Along with a few materials scattered around the city, I'm sure I can-"

"Brother, I know_ this won't work. I _know_ you're going to suffer a fate worse than death for nothing, and _I'm _going to remain here until _you _die because of a reason I can't say. Then we'll both move on once Winry gets here, see Mother, and eventually... Well, you'll see." _

"Al... How do you-" Edward began, utterly confused at both how his brother knew these things(Or claimed to know them) and why he would decline his brother's offer to live.

"You cought a glimpse of what you called ''The Truth', right? Well, Brother, if you saw 'The Truth' for about five seconds and learned so much, think about my position. I've LIVED here for FOUR YEARS, slowley having that information taught to me to pass the time. I know things you couldn't possibly understand, and if you did manage to revive me into a human form, I'd just go insane. I'd be taken away, and you'd be miserable. TRUST ME, it won't work. So stop and take my sacrifice, okay? You don't really think I'd manage to be happy without you, do you?"

Ed just stared. Al had a point, though Ed hated to admit it. If Ed learned how to perform a transmutation without a circle along with new knowledge that he hadn't even dreamed of gaining in five seconds, then in four years, Al could...  
"Al... You're... You're sure?... No, no! I'm bringing you back, NOW."

"B-"

Too late. Ed had already pried open the doors, tossed Al out of the darkness, and closed the doors, turning around before fading away.

When he woke up, he was in London.

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Despite one tear-filled eye being cracked open, Edward could only catch glimpses of shadows in what little light the nearly extinguashed torches on either wall to his sides provided. He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but instead found his wrists bound to the wall, legs chained to the floor. With his motions he only succeeded in making a loud and annoying rattling sound that echoed through what he believed was a dungeon. The Homonculus, whom he now realized took the form of his little brother Alphonse, that had captured him knew about his Alchemical abilities, appearently.

He had to admit, he was glad for the lack of light in the sort of dungeon cell he was currently occuping. He didn't want the Homonculus to see him crying from the nightmare. The cell was very... Roomy, actually. It was at least 12 feet long and 12 feet wide, the thick metal bars placed on the front of the cell providing enough space for Ed to nearly slip through but not quite make it, he guessed. The walls were made of some stone, icy to the touch, and the floors were similar. There was no bed in the room; Only a toilet, sink, two torches about to burn out, and a chair in the back left corner.

Now that Ed took the time to observe his surroundings, he noticed there was a shadowed figure in that chair, the dim light making its dark golden eyes shine. The look sent shivers down his spine; They appeared to have the softness and warmth that Al's eyes had heald, but beneath that mask lay the true coldness of this THING's... Er... Mind, would be the proper term, for Homonculi had no souls.

It was the Homonculus that broke the silence that had settled after Ed's chaines stopped moving in reaction to his torso and head turning.

"You've been out for two hours. I've been watching you sleep." He said.

Ed opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it, deciding not to waste his breath. Why talk back? He should focus on getting out before-

"You're not gonna escape. And we're not gonna kill you. I made Envy promise not to or I'd get to slit his throat until he ran out of Red Stones."

Edward snapped his eyes to stare directly into the other creature's. Could he read minds or something? How else could he possibly know what Edward was thinking? Whatever the answer, it creeped him out.

"No, I didn't read your mind. You tend to give away your emotions. Like when you woke up. I could tell you were sad and confused because when you're confused your eyebrows raise up and push together in a certain way, and when you're sad it's only common sense for you to cry or have uneven breaths. You have both."

It REALLY creeped him out...

But Edward managed to force a death-glare on his face as he replied.  
"Alright, guess I shouldn't bother with introductions since you probabley know who I am. Let's skip to the basics; Where am I?"

"Our base." The creature's tone didn't match his eyes for it heald a hint of amusement and, if Ed tried hard to seperate it from the other emotions, pity.

"And where is that?"

"Where it's always been."

"The Church?"

"I should have gotten prizes for when you guess right. Congradulations."

That was an annoying comment. Ed had a war in his mind before speaking up again.  
"Where's Dante?"

"The old lady? She's dead. Gluttony decided to eat her. Good riddens, I say. Envy was glad to be free of that manupilative old witch."

Edward gave a small sigh of relief. The two questions that bugged him the most finally managed to pop out after the sigh.  
"Who are you?"

"My sin name is Greed. My human form was-"

"Alphonse Elric, right?"

"Yes."

Edward could have sworn his heart flew up into his throught, trying to suffocate him, and his insides were doing backflips. He had hoped it really was just Envy tricking him, but he knew it all fit together. Al didn't come back despite Edward's offer, and because a Homonculus is born when an Alchemist fails a Human Transmutation, this must be what 'took his place'.

After Recovering from the disturbing news, Edward spoke in a slightly trembling voice.  
"A-And who c-created you?"

The Homonculus, or Greed, simply stared at him for a few moments. He seemed to be debating whether or not to speak. He could always just 'disappear' using his power...  
But finally the Homonculus stood and walked towards the cell bars.  
"Don't you already know that, Shrimp?"

The end of the world must have been starting, because Edward didn't explode in a blaze of fury like usual. He watched in silence as Greed exited the cell and made his way down the hall, leaving Edward to remain alone.

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Rage and frusteration, as well as hatred, were thrown into a pot, crushed, and mixed together to make some new emotion of which no human being could possibly describe as two serpant-like purple eyes glared venomously at the FullMetal Alchemist.  
"Come on already, Pipsqueek, can we just get this over with?" The same emotion was poured thickly over a young male's voice. He tried once more to force the spoonful of soup into the bound Alchemist's mouth, but his attempts were in vain. The Shrimp just didn't want to eat.

"Damn it, Shrimp! Quit guilt-tripping and eat this already so I can go back to my life!" Envy snapped once more, finally managing to shove the spoon into Edward's mouth when he opened it to protest. He tried not to laugh at the look of confusion, shock, then disgust that washed over Edward's face. It took all his will power to fight the cackles threatening to come out when Edward swallowed it and gagged.  
"Finally! I fed you, so I can leave!" He practically sang, leaping up and leaving the tray of food on the ground. As he proceeded to walk away, he caught a glimpse of blue light to the right side of the cell doors.

"... Damn it." Envy repeated before turning around and letting his rear fall to the cold stone floor again. Shivers ran up his spine when he thought about just how cold this cell was; The Shrimp msut not have moved an inch since he woke up. 'Look at 'im, Pipsqeueek's just staring at the ground, not even trying to escape!' Envy thought. Humans really are foolish and stubborn creatures.

"Tell you what, you eat this and I'll break those chains for you. Then I can get back to my life and you'll be able to run away. There's no point in killing you know, what would be the fun? It's more entertaining to hunt you down myself." He whispered maliciously, smirking as he did so.

And for a breif moment, golden eyes flickered upward to glare into purple ones. But then defeat crossed Edward's face and he resumed his guilt-trip, staring at the stone floor. He did, however, figure he might as well do what Envy says since he was very vulnerable at this point and didn't feel like dying today. So he reluctantly opened his mouth and allowed the Homonculus to feed him.

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In the hall, yet another blue light flashed, returning the Homonculus' arm back to normal. Greed's form was slumped against the wall, staring into a puddle. While most would just see light tan skin, dark golden eyes with long hair of the same color falling past a young man's elbows, and a boy dressed in black clothing with a cold stare, he saw something entirely different. What he wanted the most. What he'd lost only a year ago. 'I told you not to do it, Brother. You just don't listen, do you?' The moment that thought hit his head, Greed glared viciously at his reflection.

"Shut up, Al!"

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A clap echoed through the dungeon. With it was the sound of palms being pressed against stone and a flash of blue light.  
"Three days." Edward mumbled. From his experience on the island, he could understand how only a few weeks could seem like eternity, but for only three days to pass by in a simple opening and closing of his eyes seemed just ridiculous to Edward. 'Three days of doing absolutely nothing. I swear, I'm more of a pet than I am a slave.' he thought, managing a dry chuckle. Him. A pet. That was a bit awkward to think about, but then again, Alphonse had always wanted a pet. Guess that carried on in Greed. It was just unexpected that he would want his pet to be his brother/father.

That was the other strange thing that Edward often thought about. In a sense, Edward was Greed's brother. Same face, same voice, and Ed could even swear he saw Greed smiling a true, sweet, innocent smile ONCE while giving Ed his meal for the day. It had looked exactly like Al's smile, too. As far as Ed was concerned, if Greed had a soul, he'd be a super-human version of Al. But then there was the fact that Edward had created Greed. Accidentally, yes, but nonetheless, he'd created the malicious being that gave him his food every day, provided him this cell, and watched him from the shadows while protecting him from Envy. Edward was this creature's FATHER. Once this was all said and done, it would be awkward to explain to everyone why his brother was his son.

"Counting how many days it takes you to escape, Edward?" A sweet voice called. It's owner was leaning back in its usual spot, the chair in this cell. Greed smirked.  
"I'm surprised you haven't tried yet. You are free, after all. Those three little tally marks on the wall prove it. You etch those into the wall with Alchemy? What a waste. That's as bad as writing 'Ed waz here' by melting the Philosopher's Stone and painting it on a panda's pelt in big, bright red letters."

Edward slowley turn his head to look at his captor.  
"Didn't realize you were watching me, _Master_." he spat. Even though he was his Father and Brother, Edward hated Greed to no end. He had few moments when he would act pleasent, then bam! Short joke with a side of a nice little reminder that he was stuck in this prison for all of time.

The smirk faltered for a moment before returning with an even greater intensity.  
"Now, Brother, you shouldn't speak in such a hateful voice toward your little sibling. Really, Mother wouldn't be very proud." Like rubbing salt on an open wound. Not a very good idea, as the owner of said wound will NOT be happy.

Losing any shreds of control he had left, Edward clapped his hands and transmuted his arm into a blade. Then he lunged at Greed who, to his both delight and horror, didn't even flinch. Blood poured over the walls and floor, running down the metal limb and down the Homonculus' chin.

Greed's smirk vanished. Once Edward got over his slight shock, he pulled out the blade and put it to Greed's throat, meanwhile grabbing the creature's shirt and pulling him in to where their faces were only about an inch apart. If one could kill with a glare, Greed would have run out of Red Stones a long time ago due to the terrifying sight of Edward Elric's fury. He had to admit, he was a bit afraid.

"Okay, you heartless bastard, listen and listen good, because I'm only going to say this once. You can call me shorty all you want. You can say any crap you wish about our dad or how stupid I was when I made you. You can even insult Winry, just so long as you keep it light. But don't you ever, in your pathetic excuse for an existance, insult our mother, who is now burried six feet in the ground back home, GOT IT?!" The elder Elric whispered in a near exact copy of Envy's tone.

Then Greed did a very... Strange thing, to say the least. He smiled. A sad smile, at that. After spitting out a few Red Stones, he nodded, closed his eyes, and put his hands up in defeat. With a calm and soft whisper, he replied to the furious boy before him.  
"Okay, Brother. That was a bit far. I'm sorry." For some reason, he immedietly put his hands down, got an irritated look, and pushed Ed away after saying that. The young male stormed out of the cell and threw open the doors; leaving Edward dumbfounded.

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Envy grinned at his frusterated little brother. Said brother was standing before a sink in the bathroom, both hands on the edge, now purple and snake-like eyes glaring at his reflection. A look of pure disgust and hatred was permantly stamped on his face to make his rage evident.  
"What's the matter, _little brother_? Issues with the Tin Can again? You only look like that when he takes control over you." the elder teased.

Hair as black as night whipped around, following the younger's head. His frightening glare was fixed one Envy, who wasn't fazed in the slightest.  
"And just WHAT do you mean by that, Brother?"

Envy's grin only widened. He pointed a partially gloved finger at the mirror.  
"Oh yes, I forgot that you can't see your own reflection. It's always that Al kid's face staring back at you, isn't it? Well, allow me to explain. When you're normal, your hair is the same color as Tin Can's, so are your eyes. When you're outraged, your eyes turn purple and your hair black. Kind of funny, actually."

"Shut up! I don't need to take any crap from you right now, Envy." Greed snapped before turning back to the mirror. "And don't you DARE do that again you little worm! The only, ONLY reason you're still here is because of ME, got it, AL?! You better not pull a stunt like..." He growled. "Shut up already! I know, I know, you can read my thoughts and sense my emotions, but that gives you no right to possess me and apoligise when I was having so much fun!... Why do I torture Ed? Simple!", he smirked. "Because it brings me pleasure to see my creator so furious. I like making him angry, mainly because YOU never could! It's proof that I'm not you! Just as locking him up in a cell is proof, and calling him short and insulting our mother is proof! I'm living up to my name, Al. I'm being Greedy, because I want more. I want more proof that I'm not you, I want my own identity, and I want to make the Pipsqueek miserable. Why do you think I protect him from Envy? It's because if anyone's going to kill Ed, it'll be ME, and YOU won't stop me!"

"If you keep talking to yourself, some people will think you're crazy." Envy pointed out. To be honest, by keeping Greed around, Envy was also living up to his name. He wished he could comminuicate with his Human Soul. He envied Greed because Alphonse was somehow bound to him; probabley because Greed was Alphonse's real body, but the soul couldn't get back to it without the help of Alchemy. And if Greed wouldn't bind the soul to him, then Al would remain just a soul.

But back to watching the idiot talk to the mirror.

"I KNOW THAT!!! I know I said I wanted to keep him!" Greed sighed with frusteration. Obviously Al was getting to him. The downside to having a soul; they came free-of-charge with a nice little conscience. Something a Homonculus didn't need. "Look, I dunno, I MIGHT let him live, okay?! Just... Just be quiet and let me think. I'll consider it." With that, Greed left the bathroom mirror crack, his fist bleeding.

Envy shook his head. Did he honestly need to break another mirror? The Pipsqueek would have to fix that.

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"Hey, Pipsqueek, get up." He jabbed his foot into Edward's side once more, attempting to wake the Alchemist.

With a groan, a golden eye cracked open and darted from side to side before realizing where it was and who was repeatedly kicking it's body in the side. Having no desire what so ever to speak with this creature, it shut once more. Another kick.

"Hey, come on, shorty. You've got work to do. First day on the job." Envy growled with an annoyed tone. He'd been trying to get Ed up for fifteen minutes straight.

"Mmmm... Work? What ch'ya say?" Edward mumbled with mild curiousity, finally sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, work, Pipsqueek."

"Mm... Dun call me-" He interupted himself with a loud yawn,"-so short he'd drown cleanin' the toilet 'cause he'd fall in..." Obviously Edward was in that sweird state where you were still half in your dream but aware that you were awake. Kinda out of it.

"I didn't say that, Shorty. Now come on. I've got better things to do than sit around waiting for you to get your lazy rear up off the floor." Like a trained dog, Ed immedietly stood on shaky legs and stumbled after Envy, who lead him through the base. The first room they entered appeared to be a hidden garden of sorts, maybe lake. There were large statues with water pouring from them and moss covering their faces. Stones lay atop a miniature lake, a winding path of rock leading to a wooden door. Oak, he suspected. Not that it mattered.

The second appeared to be some sort of bedroom, possibly even a living room or lounge. It included a fireplace, tapestry, carpet upon the wooden floors, table, couch, and shelves. The place had a faint scent of blood.

Then the third was actually a hall way. There were eight doors to the left and three to the right.  
Suddenly, Envy broke the silence that had settled between them.  
"Alright, listne up. These eight on the left are bedrooms. The first is Pride's, the second is Sloth's, the third is Wrath's, the fourth is Lust's, and the fifth is Gluttony's. You don't need to clean those since they're all either gone or dead. The sixth is my room, you stay out of that one or I'll slit your throat. Now the seventh is Greed's. When you're done you'll probabley find him lounging in there. If you hear him talking, don't go in but... Could you eavesdrop for me and tell me what he says later? The eighth on the left is the old lady's. If you clean it up, you can have that instead of th dungeon cell. Greed thinks that if you do a good job you deserve a rewrd, so he's giving you the witch's bedroom. The ones on the right are the bathroom, which you need to clean and fix the mirrors, the kitchen, which you also need to clean and prepare breakfast, and then the door leading to the steps that lead to the outside. DON'T GO THERE, OR SO HELP ME I'LL KILL YOU ON SIGHT! The door on the end of the hall? Leave that alone. That's the big room where you created Greed. If you don't find him in his room though, I'll give you permission to go in the big room. Any questions? Good." Satsified with Ed's nod of understanding, Envy walked off to his room, slamming and locking the door after he did so.

'Well, guess I should get this over with...' Ed thought. So he began his task of cleaning the base, starting of course with the bathroom. It was fairly nice; the stone walls and floors were pretty clean, and the toilets weren't too terribly revolting, but every mirror was broken for some reason. It appeared as though someone had smashed each one in with their fist; that's probabley what happened, considering Elrics had a temper, even if they weren't human.

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After transmuting every broken mirror in the house, chasing away thousands of mice and cats, dusting away spiders, and scrubbing the floors by hand, Edward was exhausted. And he still had tons of work to do!

That's when he heard it. The most wonderful yet hilarious sound, leading to the most wonderful yet hilarious scene.

"Fluffy! Jingle! Christopher! Lucky! Snowflake! CupCake! Maria! Lilly! Noir! Fang! Trisha! Edo-Kun! Roi! Aurora! Ashlen! Where are you?" the young male called out, rushing through the halls. A look of desperation and worry entered the dark golden eyes of the 'evil' Greed when his precious kittens didn't return his calls.

Ah, blackmail. How sweet it was. Transmuting a nearby object into a camera(No, folks, not a digital camera. It's only like 1916.), he set it up and prepared to take the picture.

"Oh, Rassberry! There you are! And as always, Blueberry is with you? Come here, my babies. Don't make daddy worry like that ever again, K?" The youngest proclaimed, scooping two adorable bundles of fur into his arms. Suddenly there was a flash of light, the sound of a triumphant laugh, and mismatched steps running for the hills with camera in tow.

And Greed just smiled, petting his little friends while his 'brother' scurried away with a bit of blackmail.

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Well, that's the end of Chapter Four. Finished at 2:30 in the morning and revised a couple of times while watching the Inuyasha Marathon. Hope it was worth the wait, and I'm so sorry that it took this long! Reviews are much appreciated and motivation to update quicker, but you don't have to review if you honestly think it would bea waste of time. I promise the next chapter will be even better, and Happy Holidays guys! -Cri.


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